


Never a Perfect Time

by LiteraLital



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Queen, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Pregnancy, but it's mostly fluff!, mention of a possible miscarriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 13:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15534912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiteraLital/pseuds/LiteraLital
Summary: There's no such thing as a perfect time to have a baby.Or, five times Felicity could have been pregnant, and one time she actually is.





	Never a Perfect Time

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still holding out hope on a Season 7 Olicity baby, but to tide us over until then, here's a bunch of times Oliver and Felicity could have had a baby, and one time they actually did. 
> 
> Just to clarify, these are meant to be read as 5 stand-alone canon divergent AUs and 1 future spec about how a pregnancy could have happened/may happen on the show.
> 
> Enjoy!

_1\. May 2015_

They’ve been back from Nanda Parbat for only three weeks when Felicity realizes. You’d think that among everything that’s been going on she wouldn’t notice something like her period being a few days late, but maybe it’s _because_ the rest of her life is in such disarray, she is expecting some semblance of normalcy. So, when that time of month comes around and her period is nowhere to be seen, she immediately starts doing the math in her head and freaking out.

She finds a moment to slip away and buy a pregnancy test, and she’s not surprised when it comes out positive. Almost as if she already knew Oliver’s baby was growing inside her. Tears are streaming down her cheeks and she doesn’t know how to feel. On the one hand, this baby is going to grow up without a father. And on the other hand, this is _Oliver’s baby_. A piece of him she gets to keep with her for the rest of her life.

If she can’t have Oliver, this is next best thing. If she’s honest with herself, there was a part of her deep down that was hoping for _exactly this_. Does that make her a horrible person? How selfish is it that she is willing to let her baby go through what she did, just so that she can hold on to something of the man she loves?

 _Come on, Felicity, it’s not like you planned this_ , the more rational part of her brain says. _True_ , she thinks back. Although it’s not like there were condoms provided for them in their Nanda Parbat suite, she had been on the pill since Ray. _You can do this, Felicity_ , says the voice again, _you’re not alone._ And she isn’t. This baby won’t get to meet its father but it’s going to have a grandma, an aunt and godparents. She smiles, thinking of dinner a few weeks ago at John and Lyla’s, feeding baby Sara with Thea. And god, she groans internally, her Mom is going to be just unbearable. But she can’t wait.

 _I wish you were here, Oliver_ , she thinks, trying to project her thoughts to him, _I meant it when I said you changed my life for the better, and you just did it again. I still have faith that you’ll come back to me, but if this is it for us - thank you for saving us and thank you for our baby. I’m going to make sure he or she is safe and loved -_

Her phone vibrates and pulls her out of her attempt at telepathic communication. (Boy is she going to have it rough with pregnancy brain - she’s barely pregnant and already thinks she has superhuman abilities.) “Felicity,” John’s voice is urgent, “You have to come to Palmer Tech right now. Nyssa and Laurel are here, and they have to speak to us.

“Oliver is back in Star City.”

**...**

It’s barely a week later and they’re in a Porsche driving down the coast. When he’s not shifting gears, Oliver’s hand is resting on her still flat belly. She grasps his hand in hers and rambles on about getting his marriage annulled, preferably before the baby is born. He turns to her and smiles.

“Can I say something strange? I’m happy.”

 

_2\. December 2015_

“Ms. Smoak?” Dr. Schwartz is standing by her bed, looking apprehensive. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” Felicity answers honestly. Oliver gives her hand a squeeze, he’s finally come to see her and she’d been about to discuss her diagnosis with him. Tell him that he could still take back his marriage proposal, even if that’s the last thing in the world she wants.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to discuss some of your test results with you. As you know, when you were brought in, you were immediately rushed into surgery. But we still had them run blood tests, just to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on. And as it turned out, one of the tests did come back positive -

“You were pregnant.”

“What.” whispers Oliver beside her.

“What?” Felicity echoes, “No, how could that be? I mean, I know how that could be, but I didn’t think...I didn’t know.” She cuts off, remembering the doctor’s wording. “Did you say ‘were’?”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Felicity,” Dr. Schwartz says softly, “After everything you went through, we don’t know how the fetus was affected. As soon as the tests came back, we informed the surgeon and he did as best as he could to stay away from that area. But the truth of the matter is that he had to do whatever it took to save _your_ life.”

 _No,_ thinks Felicity, _I would do anything to save my baby._ She didn’t even know about it, wasn’t even sure how she felt about having kids, but now, all she can think is - _they should have saved the baby, not me._ She knows it’s irrational, if she had died there would have been no baby. But it’s all she can think of. A mini-Oliver had been inside her and she hadn’t even known. And now she wants nothing but that baby. She doesn’t care about walking again, she wants Oliver’s baby. And more than anything, she wants to be able to give Oliver that baby.

“No,” Felicity manages to get out, “No, they should have saved it. I would have done anything -”

Oliver’s hand grips hers even tighter. She can’t even bring herself to look at him, can just imagine his eyes filling with tears. How could he still want her? How could he still want her if she’s the reason his baby is gone?

Somehow, Oliver manages to put together a comprehensible sentence, something she seems incapable of. “How will we know if - if there’s still a baby?” He chokes out the last few words with an almost sob.

“A team from obstetrics will be right in,” Dr. Schwartz answers calmly. “They’ll perform an ultrasound and we’ll take some more blood. We’ll have more answers soon. I’m so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. I know it isn’t easy, but I need you to be prepared for the worst. I assure you that we did the best we could given the circumstances. And -

Her voice falters for a second. Felicity knows that it can’t be easy for the doctor to have to give them this news and she’s doing it in the most rational way possible. Giving them all the facts and not getting their hopes up. Still, it’s nice to know that Dr. Schwartz isn’t immune to their pain.

“And,” the doctor continues, composing herself, “if you did miscarry, and you decide down the road that you’d like to try again, we will do our best to help you and make that happen.”

Felicity just nods, tears are streaming down her face and all she wants is for it to be over. The uncertainty is killing her. She needs to know.

“Thank you, Dr. Schwartz,” Oliver answers for them both.

“They’ll be up shortly to perform the exam. And I’ll be around for any questions you may have.” Dr. Schwartz concludes and takes her exit.

**...**

“Oliver…” Felicity murmurs, finally turning to him. And yup, she was right - tears are spilling out of his eyes, and she can’t stand seeing him like this, can’t bear that fact that she did this to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Felicity,” Oliver says harshly, almost scolding, “You have nothing to apologize for. This was Darhk, not you.”

“Still, I know this isn’t what you signed up for. I mean, look at me. I can’t walk, I couldn’t protect our baby -

“We don’t know that for sure. And no matter what happens - _of course_ this is what I signed up for. I love you Felicity. And I am going to love our baby, whether we have one in nine months or in nine years.”

He fumbles for something in his pocket. “They took this ring off you in the ER. How dare they.”

He slips the beautiful diamond ring back on her finger, looks her right in the eyes, and promises, “For better or for worse.”

She gives him a small smile back, prays that their baby is still growing inside her, but knowing that they’ll be okay if it isn’t.

“For better or for worse.”

 

_3\. March 2016_

“I’m sorry,” Felicity chuckles, “I don’t think I heard you right. Can you repeat that?”

“Ms. Smoak,” replies Dr. Richards patiently, “You’re pregnant.”

Felicity had thought nothing of it when, at her routine specialist appointment last week, Dr. Richards had recommended getting some blood work done. She had mentioned to her doctor last week that she had been feeling tired lately, but wouldn’t it have been unusual if she _hadn’t_ been tired? After all, it had been months since she had even moved her pinky toe, let alone walked, and now she finally, miraculously, could do everything she never thought she would be able to again. Of course she would be tired.

Nevertheless, she figured it couldn't hurt to check if maybe her iron levels were low or something. Needless to say, she hadn’t exactly been eating well ever since she (literally) walked out on her life with Oliver. Come to think of it, if the tiredness had been a symptom of pregnancy, then the extra couple pounds she had attributed to her diet of take-out and ice cream now took on a whole new meaning.

“I can’t be pregnant. I just - can’t. I can barely take care of myself right now, let alone a baby. Oliver and I - the father and I aren’t even together anymore.” Felicity clamps her mouth shut before she shares any more personal information with her doctor. He is just the messenger after all.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Dr. Richards looks sympathetic. “Here’s what we’re going to do, Ms. Smoak. I’m going to refer you to my colleague. She’s an OB-GYN who also has experience with high risk cases like yours. She’ll be able to give you a lot more information about the pregnancy and you can decide from there how to go forward. Sound like a plan?”

Great, here she was worried about taking care of a baby after everything that happened between her and Oliver and she hadn’t even thought about the fact that the pregnancy would be considered high risk. She might not be able to carry the baby to term even if she wanted to. _I’m sorry, baby_ , she thought, _it’s not that I don’t want you, it’s just that you’ve come at the worst possible time. I don’t know how to be what you need._

Felicity nods and thanks the doctor. She needs to get out of there before the tears start. She takes the information about the OB-GYN and walks hurriedly out the door.

What is she going to tell Oliver? The irony of the situation is not lost on her. She and Oliver broke up because he lied to her about his kid, and now here she is, in the same position Samantha was with William. There’s no way she’s going to keep this from him, she knows that. But baby or no baby, she is not ready to forgive him or get back together.

The crazy thing is that the chances of this happening had to have been one in a million. The last few months were not exactly brim with procreation possibilities - first she was too injured to really do anything, and then, they had had to get creative in bed since she couldn’t feel anything below her waist. She’s pretty sure she can actually narrow it down to maybe one or two times when her getting pregnant was even a possibility. She flushes at the memories. There was nothing fun about being paralyzed, but she can’t disregard the fact that Oliver did whatever he could to pleasure her.

 _Stop it_ , she chastises herself internally, _you can’t think about him like that anymore. Although if what they say about pregnancy hormones is true, maybe Oliver will agree to some kind of arrangement…_

Felicity shakes her head to try and clear her thoughts. She has to figure out what to say to Oliver. She has to explain to him that she’s not ready to talk about getting back together, but that she’s not going to keep his baby from him. They are going to make this work. She still loves him, and as he told her only a few weeks ago, she’s his always. They’re going to do this together.

**...**

"I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“You thought I was leaving too? I know we’re going to have to discuss how much I’ll be able to contribute to the team now, but I’m pregnant, Oliver, not an invalid. And I know that we’re not together right now and we have a lot to figure out, but you have to know that I’m not going anywhere. _We’re_ not going anywhere.”

Felicity smooths her hand over her barely-there bump and doesn’t miss Oliver’s eyes following the motion with a wistful look. She meets his eyes, makes sure she believes him when she vows -

“Not a chance.”

 

_4\. June 2016_

Felicity has had her fair share of bad dates, but this has to take the cake.

She and Billy have only been going out for a few weeks when she invites him upstairs after dinner one night. She hasn’t been with anyone since Oliver and it’s time to start moving on. Besides, she likes Billy. Sure, he’s a cop and she breaks the law every night. And she’s not sure enough about their relationship to tell Oliver she has a boyfriend. But she thinks maybe this could be something real.

The first hint of something going wrong is when she opens the door to the loft and catches a strong aroma of leather and musk. _Oliver_ , she thinks, and is suddenly worried that she’s said it out loud. But Billy doesn’t seem to take notice. _The apartment does not have that strong of an Oliver smell, Felicity. You’re with a hot guy that wants to be with you right now, focus._

Trying to ignore her sudden enhanced smelling ability, Felicity leads Billy over to the couch. Moments later, they’re making out and it’s nice. Really nice. They’ve kissed before but not like this. He tastes different and he smells different but it’s still good. Until Billy breaks the kiss to mouth at her neck. All the sudden her nose is buried in his neck and she gets a deep whiff of an odor that makes her gag.

“Felicity?” Billy pulls away to see what’s wrong.

 _Oh. My. God. You did not just gag while you are getting the most action you’ve had in months. Well, month. But we don’t think about that time -_ “I’m good. More kissing, less talking.” Felicity pulls his mouth back to hers. But then it happens again. And this time her reaction to his smell is so strong that it sends her running to the toilet.

“Felicity!” Billy runs after her, and yes, that’s exactly what she needs - for the guy whose smell made her nauseous to watch as she pukes up the dinner he bought for her. Especially because if he comes any closer she’s pretty sure she’s going to throw up again.

“Please, Billy. You don’t need to see this. I’m so sorry to do this to you. It must have been something I ate. Not our dinner of course, that looked really sanitary. Maybe it was what I had for lunch. Or maybe I’m coming down with something. And I wouldn’t want you to catch it, so maybe it’s best if you don’t come any closer.”

Billy refuses to leave before fussing over her a bit more. But finally, after he brings her a glass of water and damp washcloth, he shows himself out, promising to call tomorrow and check up on her. Felicity sighs, leaning her head against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat. _What in the world_ was _that?_

Feeling better, she moves herself over to the bathroom drawers, rummaging for a toothbrush and toothpaste. After her accident, she had spent a lot of time downstairs in the loft and Oliver had been sure to stock the bathroom with anything she might need. She opens the first drawer, and then closes it, not seeing what she’s looking for. But not before something catches her eye. She opens the drawer again and stares down and the box of tampons.

No. No way. But she knows without even doing the math that yes, yes way. She hasn’t had her period since she slept with Oliver in the bunker that night. A night that she had told him didn’t change anything had actually changed everything. A baby with Oliver. There was a time when that scared her, and then a time when she wanted that more than anything. And now - now she doesn’t know what to feel.

In the back of her mind she remembers John talking about Lyla’s crazy sense of smell when she’d been pregnant with J.J. So that’s what that was. Although, she always thought pregnant women were averted to smells of certain foods, not _people_. She shook her head in amusement. If she really was pregnant, it looked like her baby was trying to tell her something.

The nausea has pretty much subsided, so Felicity finishes washing up and heads upstairs. But just to be safe, she grabs one of Oliver’s old grey hoodies she keeps in the back of the closet and wraps herself up in it. She climbs into bed and inhales, a sense of calm washing over her. It’s been months since the break-up, and even though she hasn’t quite forgiven Oliver for everything, she’s not as angry anymore. She knows she can’t rely on a baby to fix everything between them, but she knows it will bring them even closer together. And she owes it to Oliver to talk about what happened, instead of just walking away like she had.

As Oliver’s scent continues to wash over her, she closes her eyes. Tomorrow, she’ll have to take a pregnancy test and break up with Billy. Even if she isn’t pregnant, this night has been an epiphany of sorts. She still wants to fix things with Oliver and have his baby one day. And she’s going to tell him that. Soon.

Maybe it wasn’t really the worst date ever.

**...**

“Okay, Felicity, you win.” Curtis shakes his head in defeat. “That has got to be the best worst-date story I ever heard. That did make me feel a little better, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Felicity chuckles and waves goodbye to her friend as he leaves the bunker. She hadn’t planned on sharing the story of her last date with Billy, but Curtis had been feeling down about his latest fight with Paul and it sounded like he needed cheering up. She had left out some details, of course, like the fact that she was pregnant, because she still needed to tell Oliver. Besides, if Curtis was to find out that he was basically responsible for this baby, she would never hear the end of it.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?”

Felicity jumps in her seat. “Oliver! You scared me! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?” She hadn’t meant for Oliver to find out about Billy this way, but she figured now was as good a time as any to have that talk.

“Sorry. I thought you knew I was here.” Oliver walks over and sits down next to her. “You were talking pretty loudly about your date. And I want you to know that I’m fine with you seeing someone, but I’m hurt that you told Curtis and not me.”

“Oliver,” Felicity starts, turning her chair to face him. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I should have told you, but I didn’t want to tell you anything unless there was something to tell. And there isn’t. Billy and I broke up a few days ago”.

_Also, I’m pregnant with your baby. Don’t chicken out, Felicity, tell him!_

“Oh.” Oliver looks relieved almost. “Was it - was it because you’re keeping the door open for us?” He struggles to get the words out.

“Actually,” Felicity answers softly, “Yes. But, you know things are complicated between us.”

“Felicity, I just want you to be happy.  And if that means having to let you go - “

“No!” Felicity cuts him off and Oliver’s eyes open in surprise. She continues, “I mean, that’s not what I meant by complicated. Do you remember, after that night in the bunker, when I told you that I knew we should talk about what happened between us, but I wasn’t ready?”

Oliver nods.

“Well, I’m ready now. And there’s something else I have to tell you. That night in the bunker, well, something else happened too.” His piercing blue eyes are looking right at hers, giving her the courage to continue. “I’m pregnant.”

Oliver blinks a few times and his jaw opens slightly. And then he breaks out in a blinding smile. “Really?” He whispers.

“Really.” She nods and reaches out to grab one of his hands. She can’t believe it’s been so long since they’ve touched. They have so much to discuss but she’s so happy right now she doesn’t know how to contain it.

He wraps his hand around hers and strokes her fingers with his thumb. “Felicity, I love you. And I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that to you yet, so I’ll promise you this - I care about you and I will always care about you. Both of you.

“It’s a mortal lock.”

 

_5\. June 2018_

Every morning for the past few weeks Felicity expects to wake up and realize it’s all just been a bad dream. She’ll be at home, in bed with Oliver, instead of in this sterile safe house in Hope Springs. She can’t believe how quickly things changed. One second they were moments away from catching Diaz, and in the next Oliver was being led away from her and she and William were packed up and sent here.

She’ll be the first to admit that they are not coping well. She has allowed herself and William time to just wallow ever since they’d arrived here. Pizza, ice cream, video games, movies - anything to get their minds off their new reality. The school year is starting soon, and she knows that there are going to be errands to run, a job to find, but she’s not ready yet. And she’s just so MAD at Oliver for doing this to her and William.

She can’t sleep. She’s so afraid - afraid for Oliver and the horrors he must be facing, afraid for her and William because of the target Diaz has placed on their backs. And most of all, she’s afraid that there is no going back from Oliver’s decision - no way that they will ever all be together again.

She tries to get William to bed at a normal hour, but she’s pretty sure he can’t sleep either. She thinks it would be a good idea for him to see a therapist. Hell, it would be a good idea for the both of them. But right now, she just can’t bring herself to make any plans. One day soon, she is going to wake up and face everything, but not just yet.

She’s playing around on her phone one night, her nightly routine since she can’t sleep, when a message pops up that the storage is almost full. _Frak, not again_. Another thing Felicity hates about their situation - all her electronics had been taken away and she was given only a few simple and secure devices instead. Never mind that her electronics had been one hundred times more secure than what she given as replacements, this was “protocol”. She was able to transfer over her apps and accounts, but these poor excuses for technological devices only had limited amounts of space.

Felicity scans through her apps to see what can be deleted. Her finger stills over the app she uses to track her periods. She can’t remember the last time she used it, maybe she can delete it. What use does she have for tracking her period now, anyway? It’s not like they offer conjugal visits at Slabside. She’s about to press Uninstall when it hits her - _she can’t remember the last time she used it._

She opens the app, and sure enough, there is a detailed list of all her periods, up until a few weeks before Oliver turned himself in. _Oh, Oliver. You have got to be kidding me. It wasn’t enough to leave me and William, you had to put a baby in me too before you left?_ Felicity would be laughing right now if she wasn’t about to burst into tears. She knows that’s not fair, of course. In fact, if Oliver knew that he was about to father another child that would grow up without him, he would have a hard time living with himself. _I don’t know how I’m going to do this without you_ , she cries silently.

But it turns out that this baby is the push Felicity needed all along. This is her reality now. Starting tomorrow, she’s going to start taking better care of herself and William. They’re going to eat better, go back-to-school shopping and she’s going to look for the cover job John has been nagging her about. She has to find a doctor, too. She quickly types up a To Do list for herself that she’s going to tackle first thing in the morning. But, first, she’s going to sleep. Because suddenly she’s exhausted. So she lays her head on the pillow and closes her eyes. _Don’t worry Oliver, I’m going to take care of our children for you._

**...**

“What am I supposed to do? My husband is in prison. I have sole responsibility for a teenage boy and soon I’m going to have a baby to take care of too. I refuse to accept that I have to go on the run and raise my children while hiding out in protective custody. That’s not what we do. We fight. We fight so that the world is a safer place for our kids.”

She knew it was only a matter of time before ARGUS figured out what she was doing. At first, she had played by the rules. She and William had changed their names and their appearances. She got a job and played the role of single mom trying to make ends meet. They had settled into life in Hope Springs and she had almost convinced herself that everything was as good as it could be, given their situation.

But after months of no contact with Oliver, having to hear about his “minor altercations” with other prisoners through John, being told over and over again that ARGUS was “working on locating Diaz”, and dealing with a teenager who was still scared that something would happen to him, his stepmom or unborn sibling, she had had enough. And as her belly swelled and started to balloon beneath her clothes - the baby that Oliver didn’t even know existed - she knew things couldn’t continue to go on this way. Her family was not going to live like this. It was time to take things into her own hands.

She didn’t have access to all of the equipment she needed, but she had enough. So in between wiping down tables and helping Will with homework, she got to work. If no one at ARGUS would tell her what was going on, she would figure it out for herself. She was so close to tracking down Diaz and the so-called Longbow Hunters he worked with. And on the side, she was trying to put together a case to prove how much good Oliver had done; there had to be some judge or some other federal organization that would hear his case.

“You can’t stop me, John. No one can. I won’t stop until Diaz is put away, Oliver gets released and all four of us get to go home. I _have_ to fight back.”

 

_+1. March 2019_

Felicity wakes up slowly, relishing in the feeling of Oliver’s arms wrapped around her naked torso. She is overcome with a sense of peace that had been missing from her life for too long. As she awakens from what has to have been the best sleep she’s had in months, she smiles, remembering what had tired her out so much. Last night had been the first time since his release that she and Oliver had made love.

It had taken them a while to be intimate again. So much had happened during those long months apart; there was no way that they could just go back to the way they once were. At first, they were skittish around each other, being overly polite and not really addressing what had happened between them. But then Felicity had cracked one day, she had yelled at him for something stupid like leaving his towel on the bed, and the dam had been broken. She screamed at him for leaving her, for abandoning her while she was being hunted by a criminal, for almost getting himself killed in prison.

From that day on, they faced their situation head on. There was a lot of screaming, therapy sessions, long conversations, hugs, cuddles and kisses. Their therapist had suggested holding off on the more physical side of their relationship while they worked through everything. And despite being so fraking horny she thought she would burst, Felicity had to agree with her. They weren’t ready for that yet. Oliver needed to deal with the consequences of the violence he had faced in prison. And Felicity needed to work through her abandonment issues that had haunted her since childhood.

They were in a good place now. A good enough place that had led them to last night. She had been worried about it, their first time in many ways. But she needn’t have been. It was different - it had to be, they were different - but at the same time, it felt like coming home.

“What are you smiling about?”

Felicity angles her head to see Oliver, awake and looking down at her. “I think you know what,” she smirks, wriggling against him.

Oliver grins, pulling her tighter against him. “I have an idea or two.” He leans down, capturing her lips in a kiss.

She kisses him back slowly, savoring the taste of him. He tries to deepen the kiss, nipping at her bottom lip and requesting entry.

“Wait,” she stops him, pulling away slightly.

“Is everything okay?” He frowns. “I thought -”

“Everything is great. More than great. It’s just, I remembered last night but I fell asleep before we could discuss it. We didn’t use protection last night. I stopped taking the pill while you were in prison and didn’t remember until too late.”

“Oh. Oh! I’m so sorry, Felicity. I know you usually - but I shouldn’t have assumed. Do we need to pick something up?”

“Well...what if we didn’t?”

“...Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Oliver shifts on the bed so that he’s sitting up and can face her.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s just, I know there’s no right time to have a baby. And our lives are crazy. But we’re in a good place right now. And there probably could be worse times to have a baby. I can think of a few times in our relationship that it wouldn’t have been ideal. But in the end it wouldn’t have mattered, I don’t think. Because it’s you and me. And if we can survive the League of Assassins, Damien Darhk, Diaz, breaking up, getting back together, and even prison, I think we can handle having a baby.”

Felicity can’t remember the last time she talked so fast. She’s suddenly nervous, realizing she really, really wants this and hopes Oliver does too. He’s looking at her incredulously, not saying a word. “Oliver? Please say something. It’s okay if it’s not something you want, I just - “

He’s kissing her, her favorite way of him getting her to stop rambling. He gives her another few short pecks and then sits back. His eyes are twinkling at her and he’s grinning from ear to ear. “Felicity. I have wanted to have a baby with you since I saw you in that hospital room with baby Diggle. There is nothing that would make me happier. When I turned myself in, I thought I was giving up my final chance to have what I had always wanted. And then when I came home I wasn’t sure you would want me anymore after what I had done to us. You are my light and I will never take for granted your love and acceptance of me. I know what it’s like to be loved by you and I can’t wait to have a baby with you that we can love and raise together.”

Her eyes are brimming with tears. “Oliver. It’s the same for me, you have to know that. Our baby is going to be so lucky to be loved by you.”

“I love you, Felicity.”

“I love you too. So, are we really doing this?”

“We’re doing this.” His grin meets hers and then he flips her over, settling on top of her. “Let’s have a baby.”

**...**

“Come on, you know you want to tell me.”

“William.” Oliver tries to look stern but fails miserably. “You know that we’re not telling anyone until the baby’s born.”

“And I’m not anyone, I’m your son. The big brother. I live here, too. How are we supposed to decorate the nursery and buy clothes if you won’t tell me what it is?”

“We’ll just have to overcome gender stereotypes from a young age.” Felicity chides, waddling into the kitchen to join her family for breakfast. Oliver sidles over to her and kisses her good morning. Then he bends down and kisses her belly. Her husband is such a sap.

They found out a few weeks ago that the baby growing inside her is a girl, and it’s perfect. She knows Oliver is excited for William to have the same experiences that he had with Thea. But William is just going to have to wait a few more months because she’s not ready for anyone else but her and Oliver to know.

“You’ll be the first know as soon as the baby is born, okay bud?” Felicity asks.

William sighs in defeat, handing her a mug of decaf. Her stepson has gone through so much, losing his mother, then his father for a while. It hadn’t been that long ago that it was just the two of them. And then Oliver had come back, and now their family is about to grow from three to four. The last thing she wants is for him to feel left out while adjusting to another big change in his life.

“Come and bring the list over to the table, Will. We can go discuss it over breakfast. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice some of the names you added are characters from Injustice?” That gets William to smile, and he goes to get the never-ending list of baby names they’ve been working on.

Oliver places a plate of breakfast and her prenatal vitamins at her seat. They sit down to eat; Oliver’s hand is making soothing circles on her belly under the table and William is enthusiastically advocating for one of the names on the baby list. Felicity has never felt so loved. _See this, baby girl? This is your family,_ she thinks, _we love you so much and can’t wait to meet you._

**...**

“Felicity, she’s perfect. I can’t believe she’s ours. I can’t believe she’s here.”

The three of them are crowded into the hospital bed, Felicity holds their daughter in her arms, and Oliver has his arms around them both. They can’t keep their eyes off her. William had come and gone, leaving reluctantly at the end of visiting hours to head back to the house with Thea. Felicity can’t forget the look of wonder on William’s face as held his baby sister. (“I knew it was a girl, I just knew it! And she’s so tiny…”)

Felicity strokes the baby’s cheek, sighing as she watches her sleep, her little chest moving up and down. She can’t get enough of this sweet little girl, and can’t stop staring, memorizing each of her tiny, perfect features. She holds her daughter closer, inhaling that perfect baby smell, and whispers.

“Welcome to the world, Hazel Marie Queen. You couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, I'd love to hear what you thought!  
> I'm new at this, so go on easy on me ;)


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